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EBay sale leads FBI to Tampa and missing stamps

The stamps, which could be worth nearly $1-million, were stolen from a now-deceased collector's home two decades ago.

A Fort Lauderdale man with an eye for detail led the FBI to Tampa to recover part of a stamp collection that showed up on eBay more than two decades after being stolen from the home of a collector.

Stamp collector Michael Perlman had pored over the black-and-white records of Charles J. Starnes' collection.

The original collection, with distinct pen marks and imperfections, was taken from Starnes' home in 1983.

So when Perlman was browsing the Internet auction site eBay in May and saw some of the same pen marks and imperfections in color, he knew he had found part of Starnes' collection, which was worth an estimated $350,000 when taken.

"It was a thrill to see it," Perlman, who had used Starnes' book on the collection as a reference for 15 years, told the Midland (Mich. ) Daily News for a story Sunday.

"You could see the hand markings, and you see pen strokes, and you could tell this thing was an exact item."

After seeing the eBay listing May 21, Perlman called authorities and was in touch with the FBI the next day.

He decided to buy the 16 items on sale - a small portion of the collection - to help find the seller.

After making an $11,400 bid for the set, Perlman contacted the seller, who told him that she had more items in Tampa.

Perlman withdrew cash from the bank and set out for Tampa with an FBI agent.

The two entered the seller's home on May 24, while other FBI agents waited outside.

Perlman said the seller - a widow of a deceased coin collector - acted surprised when told the stamps were stolen.

The FBI seized the stamps in her possession, which turned out to be the most valuable 70 percent of Starnes' stolen collection.

No one was arrested, and the stamps were held by the FBI as the investigation continues.

FBI spokeswoman Sarah Oates in Tampa said she was told the collection could be worth nearly $1-million.

Starnes' collection - taken while he was hospitalized - included six volumes with more than 400 envelopes with rare stamps and markings.

Nothing but the collection, which was in a safe, was taken from Starnes' Midland, Mich., home during the theft.

Starnes died in 1993.

Robert Belfit, a friend of Starnes, said the collector had turned over a complete set of black-and-white copies of the collection to the FBI and told him that in 20 years a collector would recognize the set.

The collection was expected to be returned to Starnes' survivors.

[Last modified July 4, 2005, 01:42:23]